Find Me
by neveroutoftime
Summary: The Doctor and Rose encounter a mysterious stranger who just so happens to be one big spoiler for the Doctor when they accidentally visit New York in it's darkest hour. Rated T for sensitive subjects and language.
1. Chapter 1

The Doctor and Rose travel to New York's World Trade Center on September 11th, 2001. They soon run into a strange girl named Clara Oswin Oswald.

Rose Tyler opened her eyes and let in a gasp of air, feeling as though she hadn't taken a breath in years. She could hear a loud ringing in her ears as she slowly pushed herself off the ground. "Ugh." She moaned. "HEY SHE'S ALIVE!" A man's voice echoed in her ear.

Rose gazed up confused, a bright light entering her vision before she finally saw the emt man. He was tall, and he had a buzz cut, reminding her of the Doctor before he had regenerated.

THE DOCTOR.

Why wasn't he there? Why couldn't she remember what happened? "Miss what's your name?" The emt guy asked her snapping her out of her thoughts. She clutched her head, "Rose, my name's Rose." She replied. "Nice to meet you Rose, we're gonna take you to the hospital, you've inhaled a lot of smoke, dust, and whatever the hell's out there." He said. Rose giggled, "Okay." She said, blinking as she was lifted into an ambulance on a stretcher.

Once the doors were closed the emt turned to Rose, "Is there anyone you're looking for?" He asked. She nodded, "Several people actually, but I can only remember one name, nothing else." She replied. The emt, whose name tag read Scott raised an eyebrow, "You got hit on the head pretty hard when you came out of the North Tower, probably caused you amnesia." He said, "So what's that name?"

Rose scratched her head, "He calls himself the Doctor." She said. Scott looked at her confused, "Doctor who?" He asked. Rose laughed, "Nothing. Just the Doctor." She said laughing, then stopping when she really ingested what Scott had told her about her injury. "Scott, what North tower did I leave exactly?" She asked. Scott looked nervous, "Um, wow you must've hit your head pretty hard if you don't remember that." He said. Rose looked at him frightened, "Where was I?" She asked. Scott sighed, "You were leaving the North Tower of the World Trade Center when it collapsed." He said. Rose's heart stopped in that moment, and she sank down into her scratchy stretcher.

"Do you remember?" Scott asked kindly. Rose nodded, "You would think I had gone mad if I told you the truth." She said. Scott laughed, "Tell me a lie." He replied. Then Rose began to tell him what little she did remember.

They were on the TARDIS laughing about some dumb joke the Doctor had made about Raxocoricofallapatorious, and Rose had felt like she was having the time of her life, She watched from the other side of the console as he pulled a series of levers and switches. "Where are we going now Captain?" She asked. He grinned, "Somewhere, wherever the TARDIS takes us." He said. Rose grinned, "I like surprises, I hope we land somewhere where we don't have to save the world for once." She said. The Doctor put up a pouty face, "But that's part of the fun!" He exclaimed. Rose laughed as the TARDIS began to materialize in its surprise landing. The Doctor grabbed his trench coat and threw it over the pinstriped suit before grabbing hold of Rose's hand and whispering, "Run." Which had become an inside joke between the two in recent times.

As soon as Rose laid eyes upon the location, she knew where they were. "New York." She said smiling. "Start spreading the news…" The Doctor sang quietly. Rose joined in, "I'm leavin' today… You're gonna be a part of it, New York, New York!" They sang, laughing as a few city goers gave them strange looks.

The Doctor waved at a young couple passing them by before returning his gaze to Rose. "So, what year do you think it is?" He asked. Rose chuckled, set her index finger on her chin, and looked around, "Well, I am guessing…" Her voice faltered when she saw what lay no further that three blocks from where she stood, "Before September 2001 that's for sure." She said pointing towards the two tall buildings behind the time lord. He turned around and smiled, "Blimey that's high! I knew they were tall but I never imagined… Well it's just different up close I suppose." He said. Rose looked up at him, "Please tell me we're going inside." She said. The Doctor squeezed her hand, "Do I have to tell you?" He asked stepping towards the world trade center.

Upon arrival Rose had insisted that they ride the lift all the way to the top floor and the Doctor had agreed with a wide grin on his face before pressing the button. "This is quite a long ride isn't it?" Rose remarked as the lift passed floor fifty. The Doctor shrugged, "Eh, it's not too bad, but still, we probably should've taken the TARDIS." He said.

Rose nodded as the lift came to a stop at floor sixty, "This piece of-" she started to curse, but stopped herself as a petite brunette stepped into the lift talking on her cellphone, "Don't worry Nina I'll babysit for Rory tonight, you've got nothing to worry about." She said smiling confidently. The woman turned to the Doctor, "Floor seventy please." She said kindly, her strong English accent curling on the world please.

The Doctor pressed the button for her as the lift doors closed. The woman hung up the phone, "Funny thing about this city. You can have the highest paying, most time consuming job, and still have time to do something as simple as babysitting." She said turning to the Doctor and Rose. "I'm Clara by the way, Clara Oswin Oswald." She added holding out her hand. The Doctor shook it first, "I'm the Doctor and this is Rose." He said.

Clara grinned as she shook Rose's hand, "You're a lucky girl, he's quite handsome." She said eyeing the Doctor. The two of them suddenly pulled away from each other, "We're not a couple." They said at the same time. Clara blushed, "Bah, stupid old me I should've asked." She said looking at the ground.

Rose laid a hand on Clara's arm, "That's alright, we get that all the time." She said. A look of relief crossed Clara's face as the lift dinged upon its arrival at floor seventy. "Well, it was nice meeting you." She said. The Doctor and Rose nodded, "Likewise." Rose said as Clara stepped out of the lift. The Doctor held it open a moment longer, "Wait!" He shouted as she began to leave, "What's the date?" He asked.

Clara raised an eyebrow, "It's the eleventh of September Doctor." She said. His eyes widened and he let out a shaky breath, "It's not the year 2001 is it?" He asked. Clara looked at him confused, "Yes it is. Why is that bad?" She asked. The Doctor grinned nervously, "Did I say it was bad?" He asked. Clara shook her head, "Just the way you asked me the year, like it was a death omen or something." She said.

Rose shuddered at the brunette's words, they were frighteningly accurate. "What time is it?" The Doctor asked. Clara looked at her watch, "8:44." She replied. The Time Lord immediately tugged Rose out of the lift.

"I thought you two were heading up to floor one hundred five?" Clara questioned them. Rose sighed, "Slight detour." She responded. Clara nodded, "Alright." She said walking away towards her office cubicle at the window. Rose tugged on the Doctor's hand, "Come on, maybe we can save her." She said. The Doctor sighed, "What if she's supposed to die today?" He asked. Rose groaned, "Doctor, there's a fifty/fifty chance that she survives." She said stepping in the direction of Clara's cubicle.

The Doctor's face turned smug as he allowed Rose to lead him to the window next to Clara. She gazed out at the city in sadness, "In only a few moments this city will change forever." She said. The Doctor put his arm around her shoulder, "We can't change it, this is a fixed point in time." He whispered. Rose sighed, "I figured." She said. The time lord gazed over to a digital clock, and watched as it ticked to 8:46.

Not a moment later he could hear the engines of a plane, sounding closer with each passing second. "Eh! Come see this!" A worker shouted. Rose and the Doctor watched Clara stand up and walk over to another window near the west side of the tower. "Is that a plane?" Clara asked incredulously. The worker nodded, "It's flyin' way to low." He said, his jaw dropped, "And towards us."

Rose closed her eyes and turned into the Doctor. He tightened his grip around the blonde as he heard Clara gasp, and the sound of an explosion a moment later. The ground beneath their feet shook vigorously for a moment, but stopped as soon as it begun. "It hit! The plane just crashed into the tower!" The office worker screamed.


	2. Scott and Clara

Rose turned to Scott in the ambulance, "That's all I can remember for now." She said. Scott nodded slowly, "You mentioned a girl's name, Clara I believe. Would you like for us to look for her when we get to the hospital?" He asked. Rose noticed the anxious look on his face, but didn't question it as she smiled, "I'd be very grateful." She said, suddenly worrying if they ever did get Clara out.

Scott grinned back, "I'm sure she and this Doctor you keep mentioning are probably looking for you too." He said. Rose scoffed, "If they came out alive, I can't even remember that." She said. Scott laid a hand on her shoulder, "I've got a fiancé working in those buildings today. I still don't know if she's alright. I'd really appreciate some positivity. I'm sure it'd do you some good as well." He said. Rose sighed, "You're right, I'm sorry." She said. "You're forgiven." Scott replied.

Suddenly the ambulance slowed to a stop, "Are we at the hospital?" She asked. Scott looked out a small window, "Yes, we're here, now we're going to carry you in." He said preparing to open the ambulance doors. Rose rolled her eyes, "I'd rather you didn't." She said, but Scott didn't hear.

Moments later Rose was carried inside the hospital lying in a bed in a room filled with people covered with soot, ash, and dust. Some were coughing, others moaning in pain, and some were just lying still like Rose. She felt a tear roll down her cheek at the scene before her, it seemed so hopeless, as if it would never end.

She knew it would get better for these people though, if there was one thing she was certain of, it was these people's recovery.

A smile spread across her face as she closed her suddenly tired eyes. She found herself quickly welcoming sleep like a warm blanket. The memories she was welcomed to were exactly the opposite.

Clara ran back over to her office, gripping her hair tightly in distress, "Oh my god, oh my god…" She mumbled to herself over and over again. Rose let go of the Doctor for a moment and stepped over to the now hysterical Clara, "Are you okay?" She asked. Clara opened her mouth to speak, but instead just wrapped her arms around Rose as a few tears streaked down her face, "Oh god help me!" She whispered. "Shhhh..." Rose whispered, "It'll be alright if we leave now, we'll take the stairs, and we'll get out of here."

The Doctor nodded, "Don't worry Clara, everything'll be fine." He said smiling in the same manner in which she had smiled at him moments earlier in the lifts. Clara pulled away from Rose, "The stairs will take too long, we've got to use the lifts." She said. Rose shook her head, "The building's on fire, and when are you not supposed to use the lifts? In the event of a fire." She said answering her own question.

Clara ran a nevous hand through her hair, "I guess we'll just have to run down the stairs then, and we will have to run as fast as we can." She said. The Doctor nodded, "Good plan, we love running don't we Rose?" He asked. Rose shook her head, "Not this time." She muttered. He took her hand, "I know." He said before turning to Clara, "So, where's the stairwell?" He asked. Clara looked around for a moment, her thoughts rushing around rapidly, "That way!" She cried proudly pointing behind them. Rose looked at the Doctor, "That way?" She asked. He nodded, "Works for me!" He shouted pulling Rose towards the stairwell, Clara following close behind them.

Soon they reached a door entitled, "Stairwell", and Clara quickly pushed it open, allowing them passage inside. The three of them quickly bolted down the stairs taking on flight after flight. After a couple of minutes, Clara stopped the group, "Wait, there's something I need to get on this floor." She said pointing to the door at floor sixty. The Doctor groaned, "What is it? It better be important because we don't have a lot of time." He said as people rushed past him on their way down. Clara pointed to her ring finger as she dashed out of the room, "My engagement ring." She said as she walked over to a desk.

Rose's heart nearly stopped when Clara told them she was engaged, she suddenly felt her need to save Clara grow stronger, "Doctor, we've definitely got to save her." She said. He nodded and squeezed her hand, "If she's the one you want to save, we'll save her." He responded. Rose grinned up at him, "Thank you." She said leaning on his shoulder as Clara returned with a beautiful diamond ring on her finger. The girl gazed at thee ring with a smile on her face, "Let's go, I've got what I need." She said sauntering back into the stairwell.

Rose and the Doctor followed suit behind Clara. "So, what's the lucky fellow's name?" She asked. Clara grinned as she passed floor fifty nine, "His name's Scott, Scott Smith." She replied.

Rose woke up to find it was dark in the room, and every other patient was asleep. The only other person awake was the nurse checking her heart rate with a stethoscope. "Sorry to wake ya hun', just had to check up on ya, make sure you're doin' alright." She said with a heavy New York accent. Rose smiled, "It's fine, you're just doing your job." She murmured. The nurse removed the stethoscope from Rose's chest, "Well, there seems to be nothing wrong with you that I can gather, other than that nasty bump on ya head there." She said.

Rose giggled, "So everyone keeps tellin' me." She replied. The nurse grinned at Rose, "Is there anything else you need?" She asked. Rose nodded, "I just need to have a couple of questions answered." She replied. The nurse raised an eyebrow, "Ask away." She said. "Alright, my first question is, has any word of Clara Oswin Oswald, or the Doctor come in yet?" Rose asked, hopeful of a positive response.

The nurse shrugged, "I'll check as soon as I leave," She said, "What else?"

"Is there a man named Scott Smith working here who's engaged to the same Clara I'm looking for?" Rose asked. The nurse blinked, "Wow, I'm surprised you knew! But yes he is, he never shuts up about that Clara of his, it's all 'British accent,' and 'tea with biscuits' and cute button cheeks… He loves her to bits, such a sweet pair, they're quite happy together." She said. Rose's smile appeared once again, "Um, Can you send Scott in here? I'd like a word with him." She whispered. The nurse nodded, "Perhaps I can get him to you at sunrise, he's still busy rescuing people from the wreckage." She said. Rose sighed, "Alright." She said sinking into her pillow.

The nurse smiled at Rose as she prepared to leave, "Goodnight Rose." She said turning off a lightswitch above Rose's bed. "Night." Rose whispered.

As soon as the nurse was gone she looked up at the ceiling, and began to fall asleep to the quiet hum of the air conditioning system.

But with more sleep came more nightmare filled memories…


	3. What happened to the Doctor?

The Doctor, Rose, and Clara hurried past floor fifty, checking the time on Clara's watch as they ran. Clara soon found herself running out of breath, "Hold on." She panted as they came to a stop. The Doctor stopped running, finding that he too was running short of breath. "We need to be quick, there's not much time." He said. Rose leaned against him, panting heavily. Clara raised an eyebrow, for people who weren't a couple they seemed awfully close.

"How much time do we have Doctor?" Rose asked. The Doctor looked at Clara, "How much?" He mouthed. Clara looked down at her watch, "It's 9:01." She said. The Doctor turned his gaze back to Rose again, "We've got only one minute." He said. Rose's face fell, "We're gonna die in here?" She asked frightened. He shook his head, "We've only got one minute until the second tower gets hit." He replied. Clara looked at him confused, "What do you mean? The South tower is fine!" She exclaimed. The Doctor bowed his head awkwardly, "Ten seconds." He whispered clutching Rose's hand tightly. Clara continued to stare at them with a confused expression until she heard the explosion a moment later, and a look of sheer terror spread across her face.

"We need to run." She said turning to the next flight of stairs only to find no footsteps behind her. Clara turned around to find the Doctor and Rose simply gazing into each other's eyes, deep sadness visible on both of their faces as they had a silent conversation with each other. "What's the matter with you two? You barge in here seeming to know what's gonna happen seconds before it happens, and then you look as if you just witnessed a thousand people die right before your eyes." She said.

Rose broke the intense moment between herself and the Doctor, and turned to Clara, "We can explain everything to you as soon as we leave the building." She said looking to the Doctor for approval. He nodded, "Yeah, we can explain everything from the safety of a building far away from here." He added.

Clara seemed to think for a moment as more people pushed past them in the stairs on their way down. "Alright, but you better tell me later." She said, once again turning to the stairs and running down to floor forty nine and beyond. The Doctor pulled on Rose's hand and followed close behind Clara, keeping a close eye on the two women running with him.

"Doctor be honest are we going to make it out?" Rose asked quietly as they ran down another flight of stairs. The Doctor shrugged, "I don't know." He replied. Rose let out a heavy sigh, "I'm only asking because, maybe we can save more people." She said. The Doctor shook his head, "Rose, anymore than one or two could cause a wound in time. Remember what happened last time when you saved your father?" He asked. Rose looked away from him, "How can I forget?" She asked in response.

The Doctor looked back at her for a brief second as they came onto floor forty seven, and returned his gaze to the floor ahead of them.

Suddenly a door opened just in front of Clara, narrowly missing her head. "Oi!" She shouted as a tall blonde woman and a lanky ginger man stepped through the door. "Oh gosh I'm so sorry! Let me help you." She said holding out a hand to the stumbling Clara. She took it, and stood upright in a second. "Thank you." Clara said when the woman was finished helping her. "Rachel we've gotta get a move on, there's no time for chit chatting with strangers." The ginger man whispered into Rachel's ear. "Pierre's right." The woman said, "If we wanna get outta here alive we gotta keep movin'!" She exclaimed heading towards the stairs, "It was nice to meet you." She added turning to Clara, Rose, and the Doctor before dashing down the stairs.

"She didn't seem too thrilled about it." Rose muttered. The Doctor nodded, "Who could blame her? No one's happy about anything today." He said. Clara cleared her throat, "They did have a good point though, we've got to get out of here." She said pointing to the staircase going down.

Soon the trio were underway again, off to save themselves from the World Trade Center's imminent collapse. Everything was going smoothly as it could go for an escape from a burning building. As far as Rose was concerned, everything would be fine.

But she couldn't remember if it stayed that way.

Rose woke up in her hospital bed with several nurses hovering over her worriedly, "What's going on?" Rose asked. The nurse she'd spoken to the previous night spoke up, "You were talking in your sleep. Actually, there was some yelling. It disrupted several patients so we woke you." She said. Rose rubbed her still aching head, "What did I say? Or rather, yell?" She asked.

The nurse stepped forward while others tended to her machines, or to other patients. "Something about telling Rachel Levhurt not to go back. And then there was some crying whilst speaking of Clara Oswald? Are these by any chance memories rather than dreams?" She asked. Rose sighed, "I'm afraid so." She replied. The nurse let out a sigh, "Anyone who isn't me is dismissed." She said. The rest of the nurse gang let, and Rose was alone with only the main nurse.

"Why am I only remembering what happened in dreams?" She asked. The nurse shrugged, "Sometimes our unconscious mind fills in what the conscious one cannot." She replied. Rose nodded, and took a deep breath before gazing at the IV in her arm. She felt slightly ill simply looking at it. The nurse followed her gaze, and nodded, "We don't think you'll be needing that much longer sweetie." She said.

Rose smiled, that was probably the only good news she'd heard since her eyes opened. "Ya know what would really make this a good day?" She asked. The nurse's eyebrows raised, "What?" She asked in response. "I really want to see Scott, I met his fiancé Clara whilst in the Trade Center yesterday morning as you know, and I really need to talk to him about it. Also, has any word come in about them? The Doctor and Clara?" She asked.

The nurse stood up, "No, no word about the Doctor, but they're bringing people in from the rubble today so maybe this afternoon." She said.

Rose shook her head, "That's okay, just bring me Scott then." She said.

The nurse smiled weakly at Rose before turning away and leaving Rose to sit in her funk wondering what happened to her friends.

She wondered if the Doctor was in the TARDIS waiting for her, or just looking for her. All she knew was she'd seen him minutes before she woke up among the rubble of the towers. She also knew she must've hugged him, or been pressed up against him fairly recently as well, for she had smelt faintly of the smell that could only be described as Doctor.

Her longing to find him only grew as the minutes passed. She waited for someone, anyone, to come to talk to her. Even talking to another patient would help her, but they were all either under strict orders to rest, had ptsd and wouldn't be mentally stable for more than a minute, depressed, in a coma, or just unwilling to talk.

Eventually, she sank back into the mattress disappointed. No one had come to talk to her for two hours, not even the nurse or Scott. Maybe Scott didn't want to talk to her after she mentioned meeting Clara. She hadn't told him Clara's last name had she? Rose tapped her fingers on her cheek, and thought hard about what she told the man in the ambulance.

Her train of thought was interrupted by the man himself walking in. Rose mentally cheered as he grew closer, "I see they finally gotcha here." She muttered, her voice not reflecting the relief in her brain. Scott nodded, "They did, I was told that you needed to talk to me about-" he started, and Rose interjected with, "I met your fiancé in the trade center and I can't remember if she's dead or alive?" She asked.

Scott's mouth hung open, "My Clara? Clara Oswald? Clara Oswin Oswald?" He asked, holding out each syllable of each word, and watching Rose nod in between each question. "Yes, last thing I remember is we were on the stairs listening to the second plane hit, and she was crying she was so scared." She said. Scott frowned, "My Clara doesn't cry at anything." He replied. Rose shrugged, "Sometimes tragedy changes the strongest of us." She said, "But no matter what you say, Clara was terrified of the towers from the moment the plane hit."

Scott looked down, "Have you heard anything about Clara?" He asked. Rose shook her head, "No, but they said they'd bring in more survivors tonight out of the rubble. Maybe my Doctor and your Clara will be in there." She said.

The man looked doubtful as he twisted a piece of paper in his hands. Rose began to notice the awkward silence building between herself and Scott, and spoke up.  
So, when's the wedding?" She asked. For the first time, Scott smiled, "Next week, we're going to get married in lower manhattan somewhere, but I don't think that's gonna happen now. It's so dusty there." He mumbled towards the end.  
Scott laughed, "That place is a dust cloud. The air is so thick and full of dust that you don't want to breathe in it, much less get married in it. The only people allowed in there are the rescue crews." He said. Rose turned her head towards him weakly, instantly regretting the decision as sharp pain burst through her head.

"Rose?" Scott asked quietly. Rose didn't hear him, she didn't respond, she'd gone limp in the bed.

The ambulance man stood up and ran to get the Doctors. Within seconds, Rose's heart beat was slowing to a halt.


	4. It's Best For Survival

Clara's legs were giving out on her, and she began to pant as they headed down from forty seven. Rose turned her head and noticed the brunette's troubles. She immediately told the Doctor to stop running, before turning to Clara.

"Are you alright?" She asked curiously. Clara clutched her head, "No, I'm afraid I'm not alright at all. I've got a million thoughts flying through my head at once and I'm short of breath. Can we please just try the lifts?" She asked.

Rose looked back at the Doctor, "What do you think?" She asked. The time lord pointed up, "There's a fire Rose, one of the most famous fires in history. It's dangerous to take the lifts," He said, "Besides they're probably out of power."

Their companion looked at the two of them as they began an argument about what they should do. From what she was able to gather, it seemed as if the Doctor was used to getting his way, but not around Rose. Not the way she so comfortably raised her voice in front of him.

Eventually, Clara decided the argument was just making her head hurt, and she stopped them, "Enough! We're takin' the bloody lifts end of story!" She screamed. The pair gazed at her in awe, they hadn't expected her to raise her voice in the way she did. "This is not the time to be squabbling like an old married couple! Honestly you act married, no wonder dad keeps telling Scott to get out, even though he's joking he still means it a little bit. He's the tiniest bit serious. Look, I won't want this day to be any more stressful than it already is, so please stop." She said pushing the door from the stairs open.

They reluctantly followed her, thoughts blazing through Rose's mind about being married to the Doctor with a wedding ring on her finger. She even began to imagine the dress she'd wear on her wedding day.

The Doctor himself snapped her out of her thoughts as his fingers intertwined with hers, "Are you alright?" She asked him. He nodded as Clara pressed the button for the lifts, "I'm just upset that I put you in danger like this again. It's not even aliens this time it's people. People being cruel to people." He said. Rose laid a hand on his arm, and observed he was looking away, "Look at me." She commanded him, and he obeyed, "Danger is part of the job, it's part of everyday life, it's something we have to deal with. You know who told me that? You." She whispered searching his said, but not quite lonely eyes.

He pressed his forehead against hers, "I know Rose, I just wanted to keep you safe, and never let you out of my sight on days like today, because I-" he started, but he was interrupted by an impatient Clara, who had grown tired of the romantic fluff. "Lift's working and it's here." She said as the doors opened in front of her. The Doctor stepped cautiously inside, "Cables are alright, holding together. Lift's holdin' my weight." He said, "That's good news."

Clara couldn't help herself but to make a pun off of his statement, "Well, you're awfully skinny, you probably weigh only a pound." She said. "Oi!" The Doctor exclaimed as Rose and Clara both giggled hysterically. Clara stepped onto the lift next. The lift still held her weight, "Alright Rose, come on board." The Doctor said motioning to the floor. She gulped, "Doctor, we're forty seven floors up, if that thing falls, we're all sure to die." She said.

The Doctor almost laughed, "Rose Tyler, afraid of heights?" He asked incredulously. She nodded, and he began to laugh until Clara smacked his arm, "That would've been funny on any day but today." She said. He looked at the ground apologetically, "I'm sorry Rose, I'm so sorry, it's just, after everything we've faced, you're afraid of something as simple as heights?" He asked. Rose smiled sheepishly, "It's silly I know." She said.

The Doctor held out his hand, "Come on board Rose." He said softly. She put her hand in his, and took a dainty step forward with her eyes closed. The lift creaked, and Rose anticipated a fall, but when it didn't come she opened her eyes and discovered herself safe in the Doctor's arms.

He grinned at her, "Hello." He said. "Hello." She said back. Clara groaned and pressed the lift button for floor one. The doors closed and the lift began moving. "See Rose? Nothing to worry about we're completely safe." He said. She laid her head on his shoulder, and was about to speak when the lift suddenly stopped moving, and so did her heart.

"Doctor, it's gone dark." She whispered as the lights began to flicker above them. He pulled Rose closer, "I've got the sonic, don't panic we'll be out in no time." He said searching through his pockets.

Rose looked over at Clara, who was holding her ring to her lips and praying quietly. She wrapped an arm around the frightened girl's shoulders when the Doctor left her side to begin sonicing the lift doors. "I'll pray with ya." She said before beginning to pray to Clara.

Meanwhile…

**World Trade Center disaster site September 12****th****, 2001 6:30 P.M.**

Scott was doing the dirty work. He was digging people dead and alive out of the rubble. So far, nothing good had come. There had been no one found alive while he was on watch. He lit a cigarette as he helped a fireman shift a piece of steel over.

At first he thought he'd imagined it. The faintest of coughs. The cough which ended up being the sweetest sound ever to enter his ears. "Stop!" He cried to the fireman. He pulled the cigarette out of his mouth, and chucked it onto a pile of ash.

"Hello?" He called. The cough came again. The two working on the area looked at each other before desperately moving rubble out of the way. There was someone down there. A smile lit up both Scott's and the fireman's faces as they saw darkened flesh from a hand reaching out for them.

"You're gonna be okay, we'll get you out!" Scott cried happily. He pulled another large piece of steel off of them with difficulty, thin beads of sweat appeared on his forehead, "We've got a live one!" He cried as he reached down into the hole he'd dug to find the person.

Another hand reached out for Scott, "We've got two live ones!" He cried. He ran over to his ambulance and immediately began to prepare to take them to the hospital as the firemen rushed over to where the live ones had been found.

"Scott!" A fireman cried running up to him. "What's up Frank?" Scott asked. Frank looked down, "I think you might want to take a look at this. We can get the man out, but the girl, she's in really bad shape man." He said. Scott ran over, "I'm a miracle worker Frank I'll get her out." He said, as they pulled an unconscious man wearing a torn up pinstriped suit out of the wreckage. The man looked dead, the only sign that he was alive was his chest rising up and down.

Scott smiled as they put the man into his ambulance, and then rushed over to find the girl. The first thing he saw of her was a mess of tangled brown hair, and an ash stained face. Blood covered most of her body, and soaked her clothing. It even stained the engagement ring she wore, blood dripping off the diamond.

"Clara!" He cried. He attempted to move her, when he saw the pipe that was deeply embedded in her shoulder. "Oh my god." He said. "They found her just barely on top of him. We think she tried to save his life." Frank whispered. Scott put his hands on his head, "Alright, just get me a stretcher I've got to get her out of here!" he cried.

Ten minutes later, he was carrying Clara out of the trade center rubble, and laid her beside the mystery man she'd saved in the back. Another paramedic jumped in the driver's seat while Scott did what he could to assess their wounds. Clara had suffered multiple cuts and burns, while the other man had suffered great trauma to the head.

He shook his head, "It's all my fault." He whispered to himself.

Half an hour later they arrived at the very same hospital Rose was in earlier. Clara was moved into the ICU area, like so many others, and the stranger was placed next to Rose. "What's this guys name?" One of the nurses asked as she came by with a clip board. Scott shrugged, "Just write, John Doe." He said.

The nurse nodded and walked away. Scott then ran over to where they'd taken Clara, he walked by just in time to see a Doctor's assistant carrying the large piece of shrapnel that had been in Clara's shoulder out of her room. He could see vaguely into Clara's room, her heart was beating unevenly according to the monitor as she received what he could see as a series of stitches and other things he didn't have the time to care about.

He pressed a palm against the door, "Please god let her live." He whispered. "Please."


	5. Set Fire to the Tower

Rose's ears were ringing as she lay on her bed in the hospital, she could hear nothing but the intense ringing as she tried to open her eyes and failed. She was in sleep paralysis. She wouldn't be able to move until she fully woke up.

But she was able to hear what the doctors were saying. "Well, he'll have someone to talk to when he wakes up." One said. "If she ever wakes up she can talk back." Another muttered. "What happened to her earlier?" The first one asked. "Her body reacted the wrong way to some of the meds we gave her." The other replied. The first nurse let out a groan, "Well, shouldn't you have asked her if she had any allergies to medicine?" She asked.

The other stepped away from Rose, who was struggling to hear the conversation. "Well in all the chaos around here, I guess it just slipped my mind. Don't worry Jess, she'll be alright." She whispered. The first sighed, "Wait till this one wakes up before giving him any meds." She said.

The next thing Rose heard was the clickety clack of their high heels as they walked out of the room. She tried again to open her eyes, but she couldn't. The only things she could do were inhale, exhale, and eavesdrop on the doctors and nurses conversations.

She was bored out of her mind, so she began to focus on the stranger next to her. She could hear his staggered breathing to the left, but no machines beeped. They hadn't hooked him up yet. She realized.

Rose was vaguely aware of him mumbling something in his sleep, but she couldn't decipher what. Her fingers twitched, and she breathed a sigh of relief at the fact that she was regaining feeling in her body.

A slight groan escaped her lips, and she turned herself over in the cot looking for a more comfortable position to sleep in. The white sheets were suddenly much more comfortable. The only thing left to bother her was the constant ticking of the clock on a nearby wall, and the occasional ambulance crew carrying in another victim.

Apparently, the man next to her heard it too, for she could hear him shuffle to the other side of his cot, and let out a moan. She'd assumed he'd covered his ears.

The noise died down as the clock ticked past nine thirty, and Rose began to fall back into her deep sleep. Fear built a pit in her stomach as she began to dream, and remember what had happened to her on the previous day.

**North Tower of the World Trade Center 9:20 a.m September 11****th****, 2001. **

The Doctor actually looked worried as he sonicked the door. It wasn't working. He frowned, "I didn't think it was deadlocked." He said running a hand through his hair. Rose looked at Clara, who was still wide eyed at the device the Doctor had produced from his pocket a moment earlier.

"What the hell is that?" She asked worriedly. Rose laid an arm on her shoulder, "It's a tool of his, he uses it to unlock doors and stuff." She replied. The Doctor didn't listen to them, he just kept attempting to sonic the doors. "It usually works, unless the door is deadlocked, or there's wood." She said. Clara caught on quickly, "Let me guess, there's wood in the doors." She said. The Doctor nodded, "We have to wait until the rescue crews get here to get out. Climbing through the shaft is useless, we could get burned." He said.

Rose's face dropped, and she sat with her arms folded on the floor, "We're gonna die up here." She said. The Doctor sat down next to her, "No we're not Rose, we're not gonna die today." He said wrapping an arm around her shoulder.

Clara sat in the corner opposite them, and watched the conversation continue. "What if the crews don't make it on time though? We're on the fortieth floor!" She exclaimed. The Doctor wrapped his other arm around her shoulder and began to stroke her hair, "They'll make it, I promise." He said. Rose gripped his other hand tightly, "Maybe, but how are we gonna know when they're here? Or how are we gonna let them know we're here?" She asked.

"Rose if they're not here in ten minutes, I promise we'll break out of here using every tool we've got." He told her.

She nodded, and curled up against him. The lights flickered above them, the smell of smoke suddenly more evident than before. Clara gulped nervously, a bead of sweat ran down her cheek.

The three of them sat in silence for a moment, each of them seemingly calm. At least until Clara's cell phone rang. They all jumped a little bit at the sudden loud noise. She pulled it out of her jacket pocket, and looked at the number on the screen. Her heart caught in her chest. It was Scott Fitzgerald, her fiancé.

"Clara? What's wrong?" Rose asked. The brunette looked down, "It's my fiancé." She said as the phone kept on ringing, "He's probably wondering where I am." Her voice broke and she folded her knees into her chest, "I don't know what I'm gonna tell him."

The Doctor let go of Rose, and crawled over to Clara prepared to give another, "The world is ending so do the right thing" Speech. "Clara, listen to me, tell him where you are. If you truly love someone, you'll always make sure they know how bad of a situation they're in. You'll comfort them in the worst of times, and laugh at them in the best." He said. She felt a tear streak down her cheek, "I can't." She whispered. He laid a hand on her shoulder, "Yes, you can." He said.

Clara looked at the phone nervously, then flipped it open, and answered the call. "Hey there." She said calmly. "Where are you? I've been wondering all morning!" He said. Clara turned away from the other two in the lift, "Um, Scott?" She asked.

"Yeah?"

"I'm in the north tower. I'm trapped in the lifts with some people I just met."

"Clara! Get out of there!"

"I can't I'm trapped!"

"What are you going to do? That building's coming down Clara. It's gonna fall."

Clara looked up at the Doctor again, "I'm gonna bust the hell out of here, and then I'm gonna run, I'm gonna run until I find you again." She said, hearing Scott's victory laugh on the other end. "I'll see you soon Clara. I love you." He said. "I love you too." She replied hanging up the phne.

Clara sat up, "Alright, we're escaping. I'm not dying in here." She said standing up, and staring down at the couple that wasn't. The Doctor looked pleased to see her new confidence that they would live. "So, um, what're we gonna do?" Rose asked. Clara looked around the lift, "There's gotta be somethin' in here that'll help us get out. Look around." She said.

Rose looked up, "There's the escape hatch. Think there's something up there?" She asked. The Doctor followed her gaze, "Perhaps, I suppose it's possible; but this lift may have been up in the fire, it could be hot up there." He said. She smiled, "It's worth the risk of a burn if it saves our lives, gimme a lift." She said. Thankfully, the Doctor obliged, and in seconds she had her hands on the hatch. "What the hell are you doing?" Clara asked, "I thought you said that was hopeless!"

The Doctor grinned, "Not hopeless, just useless. Up until this point." He said while Rose pushed the escape hatch open, and was greeted to a smoldering roof. Most everything was smoldering. She coughed lightly, and looked up. There was an orange glow of fire so far up above her. It seemed to have an intense glare, like the eye of an angry man on course to murder someone.

She looked back down at the Doctor, "Is something wrong Rose?" He asked. She shook her head, "No, but I can see the fire up there. It's burning so brightly, yet it's so dark at the same time." She said before looking around the roof, "There's nothing usable up here." She muttered placing her hands on the edge, and stepping down. That turned out to be a terrible plan, Rose's two hands were instantly burnt. "Ow!" She cried, falling into the Doctor's arms. He looked at her with concern visible on his face, "Rose! Are you alright?" He asked. She looked down at her red, blistering palms and moaned, "Yeah, it's just a burn. Honestly, I think I'll be alright." She said, "Clara have you found anything yet?"

The brunette stood still, her ear pressed against the door.

Suddenly, she began to bang against it desperately, "We're in here!" She cried, "Help!"

The Doctor and Rose then realized she heard people on the other side. They could hear them shouting as they got closer. "Get us out!" Clara screamed. Rose jumped out of the Doctor's arms and joined in on the yelling, "Help us!" She cried. A thin bar stuck through the doors, "We're getting you out!" A female voice cried.

All three of them sighed with relief. Soon, but with much force, the doors opened and a man's smoke covered face greeted them. "Ay, Rachel, it's the folks from the stairs earlier!" He exclaimed. A blonde woman stepped into view, "Oh my god it is them!" She cried.

It took them a moment, but they recognized the woman. "We ran into you on, what was it? Floor 50? 60?" The Doctor asked. Rachel nodded, "Yeah, now get out of the elevator before it falls or something." She said offering her hand. Clara took it, and stepped out. The Doctor and Rose followed, he examined her hands the whole time. "Second degree burns." He murmured, "Oh Rose I'm so sorry." She shook it off as he held onto her wrists, "It's fine Doctor. In the grand scheme of things this is relatively minor." She said.

He smiled, "And positive Rose is back!" He exclaimed. She grinned, "I am." She said. At this point the two were giggling slightly with their faces inches apart.

A throat cleared, and the man Rachel had called Pierre earlier walked towards them, "Romeo, quit hitting on Juliet and get your ass out of the building." He said. The Doctor and Rose blushed and pulled apart before walking towards the stairwell.

"I'm the one who should be sorry." Clara said walking alongside the Doctor. He watched Rose walk ahead with Rachel and Pierre, "What do you have to be sorry for?" He asked. Clara let out a heavy sigh, "Don't you get it?" She asked, "I'm the one who suggested going in there in the first place. I almost got us killed."

He looked at her, "You were exhausted, you wouldn't have gone on much longer if we hadn't taken that break." He said. Clara shrugged, "That is never an excuse." She said, "If we were still in the lifts when the building collapsed, the only thing we would be able to do would be hold each other, and say goodbye. It would've been because of me."

The Doctor shook his head, "No. Clara, that wouldn't have happened. I promise. And it didn't, so there's no need to dwell on it." He said. She smiled through her tears, "Rose is very lucky to have you." She said as they began to walk down the stairs. He laughed, "Yeah, suppose she is. Otherwise she'd be dead. First time I met her I saved her from a group of plastic men, then I blew up her job." He replied.

Clara raised an eyebrow, but then put it back down. After all she'd witnessed, she'd believe anything the Doctor told her. "You keep telling me you're not together, but I see the way you look at her, and the way she looks at you. That's love, no denying it." She said skipping ahead down the stairs.


	6. Note: Next Chapter is:

Hello! I have been working on this story for a while now. The next chapter should be out on Monday. Sorry for the two month wait... But hey... Whovians have waited fifteen years in the past.


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